Falkirk area police launch fraud crackdown after series of scams

Several reports have been made in the area recently relating to victims being swindled out of cash by con artists claiming to be from reputable companies, businesses and government departments.

The announcement comes ahead of a national Shut out the Scammers initiative which will run from Monday, March 23 until Friday, April 10.

On some occasions, crooks have acted as representatives of Amazon, the DVLA, HMRC and various banks.

Many of the cases have involved con artists purporting to be from HMRC informing victims they have underpaid tax bills and unless money is recovered they will be arrested and could be jailed.

Other instances have seen residents told they have received a refund in error and must repay the sum before being given an instruction to send cash in the post, a tactic referred to by police as 'Amazon fraud’.

Victims have also been convinced to download software or provide passwords – a move which grants the suspect remote access to the victim’s computer, in turn allowing them to search for personal details and banking information.

Another popular method used by fraudsters is to convince victims their bank account has been compromised or shows irregular activity and advise money is transferred to a 'safe account’ which then keeps the cash.

Police in Forth Valley have been working closely with banks in line with national protocols to help identify potential victims who attend to make large or unusual withdrawals.

Scammers try to beat banking protocols by providing those they target with a cover story to give to staff if questioned about why they are withdrawing the money. These include saying the cash is for home improvements.

Police have issued the following guidance to help residents protect themselves from fraudsters:

Has someone you don’t know asked you to go to the bank today?

Are you transferring money from your account to someone you don’t know?

Have you been told to make up a cover story about this money transfer?

Were you contacted by phone or computer to carry out this money transfer?

Never download software or allow anyone remote access to your computer.

Never send money through the post.

Never disclose any personal or banking details to anyone you don’t know.

If you are concerned about any contact regarding a money transfer, ideally visit your bank and be honest with staff about your concerns.

Always trust your instincts; if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Never be rushed or pressurised into making a snap decision, scammers are relying on fear tactics.

Always remember you are in control; if you are contacted by phone and you are concerned about the content of the call, simply hang up.

If contacted by email, do not reply or respond to any unsolicited contact. If there are embedded links contained within an email do not under any circumstances click on these links.

If the caller is claiming to be from a bank or company that you deal with, ask them to put all their requests or enquiries in writing.